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Private Notes
For nearly 90 years, the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder (MSR) has been recognized as a trusted voice for the Black communities of Minnesota. Founder and civil rights activist, Cecil Newman, arrived in Minneapolis in 1934, starting not one, but two newspapers to cover human interest stories from a Black perspective in and around the Twin Cities. Years later, the paper merged when third generation publisher Tracey Williams-Dillard successfully steered her grandfather’s business into the digital era. While revenues are currently outpacing industry norms, Tracey’s goal of appealing to younger subscribers is falling short.
Terrell Smith, aka Mr. Red, always knew he wanted to be his own boss. With a flair for styling, he received his barber’s license in 2002, working at various local shops in and around St. Paul, Minnesota. In 2014, he finally made the leap to open his own place, Gentlemen Cuts, a true neighborhood barbershop where the conversation is as compelling as the cuts. Things were buzzing until the pandemic hit, with appointments and walk-ins nearly drying up.
Tameka Jones knows the pressures put upon women to meet a certain standard of beauty. She also understands that makeup and beauty can help women, like it did her, to re-write their story and feel empowered in their own skin. Enter Lip Esteem, a dream-turned-reality when Tameka left her 20-year career as a makeup artist to start her own beauty line in 2020. While new customers have steadily increased, sales are beginning to plateau, leaving Tameka looking for more avenues to sell her product.
The construction of a new interstate divided the Rondo community in St. Paul, Minnesota in the 1950s. The owners of Taste of Rondo are ...
In 1966, Elsa Rezene brought her entrepreneurial spirit to Minnesota from Eritrea, Africa. Before founding the longest-running black-owned furniture business in Minneapolis-St. Paul, she honed her sales craft offering beads, incense and jewelry. A generation later, Tetra carries on his mother’s legacy, treating customers like family by embracing the lost art of customer service. While trends come and go, operations have remained the same at Elsa’s – sometimes creating liabilities to the bottom line.
Since 2012, Sammy’s Avenue Eatery has been proudly providing the North Minneapolis community with good conversation and much-needed healthy options for dining out. With his personal savings and inspiration from his grandmother, owner Sammy McDowell opened his first shop and hasn’t looked back, adding a second location in Northeast Minneapolis, a food truck, and a soon-to-open food hall. But as expansion plans continue to roll out, Sammy knows he’s at a point where systems and structure will need more consistency.
